London Coffee Guide: Where you should sit down to be perked right up by the best coffee in Britain&#

"Coffee is a beverage that puts one to sleep when not drank" - Alphonse Allais

London has a couple of things in common with almost every other major city on Earth. One, the chaos that we all know as commuting during rush-hour, and two, a dearth of coffee shops in order to help people survive that chaos. Despite spending very little time in London over the last five years, a disproportionate amount of that time has been spent in some of the best coffee shops in London. From travelling down from Scotland purely to write my thesis in London cafe's, to using them as the backdrop to meeting friends, my time in London really can be measured out in cappuccino cups. So, with there being a huge number of new cafe's popping up in London every week, I figured I'd share a little list of some of London's very best coffee spots!

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Batch & Co. - Streatham

So Batch & Co coffee may be out of the way for tourists but, seeing as it's where I ended up writing about 75% of my thesis, it would be remiss not to mention it. A combination of exposed-brick walls, a book corner, friendly staff and caravan coffee beans makes it a great spot for brunch - something everyone else seems to agree with too as it keeps picking up local awards in South London. Check out their instagram for a breakdown of their after-dark activities such as film screenings, coffee and whisky tastings, gin workshops, yoga, and life drawing so yeah, something for everyone.

Monmouth Coffee - Borough Market

Coffee aficionados in London, this is the place to go - the coffee is just great, and the whole thing feels like your coffee is made for coffee lovers by coffee lovers. The fact that they are literally in Borough Market and all of the delicious food there definitely makes up for their lack of a food menu. Add to that one of the coolest selections of coffee beans that you can buy and yeah, totally a top coffee choice in London. and oh, just in case any friends aren't coffee people (eurgh, just the most difficult kinds of people to cater for), they do tea too! Just be prepared to take it to go as it usually gets crazy busy and getting a seat can be a bit difficult.

Monocle Coffee - Marylebone

The worst thing about shopping along London's Oxford Street, are the crowds - they're never-ending, but thankfully Monocle in Marylebone provides a welcome escape from, well, the barrage of people. Monocle, the big travel ad lifestyle magazine's cafe, is down a quiet street just a couple of minutes from the main shopping street so definitely pay them a visit to refuel. Oh, and they're like right by Daunt Books so you may want to bring your camera to get it all on the 'gram.

Paper & Cup - Shoreditch

The one thing Shoreditch has in droves is great coffee, and Paper & Cup is definitely up there as one of the best. Add to that their amazing vegan cakes and cool bookshelf that has tonnes of books on sale at a great price and you could easily spend more than a couple of hours here.

Ozone Coffee Roasters - Shoreditch

So what do you do if you want great coffee, in a super aesthetic setting, but don't want to sacrifice on the good food? Well, you go to Ozone. Also in Shoreditch (like literally, this could easily be a top 5 of just Shoreditch cafe's), Ozone's open kitchen in the middle of the floor lets you see just how your food is prepared and their wide selection of coffee beans means that your first visit is unlikely to be your last!

Farm Girl Cafe - Notting Hill

So you're in Notting Hill, easily one of the most instagrammable spots in London, where else would you want to grab a coffee other than one of the cities most instagrammable cafe's. Coloured coffee's go great with their colourful plates of food that you will probably end up putting up onto your feed. Looking to go? Be prepared to stand in line for a bit. This is not a relaxed empty kind of place.